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Picture this: it is Saturday morning and you have friends or family on the way! You’ve promised them an amazing brunch but have no idea what to make to impress them. Don’t worry, these French baked eggs will steal the show and take less than 20 minutes! Imagine a crusty piece of bread dipping into a perfectly runny yolk. Now imagine that the more you swirl around into the egg with that bread, you discover it is surrounded by a cheesy creamy sauce and there is a garlicky bed of spinach underneath. That, my friend, is the perfect breakfast dish and will leave your guests in awe.
Shirred Eggs
First let’s talk about the name. The word shirred is a reference to the flat-bottomed dish, or shirrer. In this case, the shirrer is a small ramekin. This style of eggs is similar to the French oeufs en cocotte, or “eggs in a pot”, with the main difference being that the ramekins are not immersed in a water bath. For all intensive purposed, though, these can be described as French style baked eggs. And to be clear, this dish can be made in a muffin tin as well, but the measurements and egg size may need to be reduced to make sure all of the ingredients fit.
Traditionally, shirred or French baked eggs can be as simple as cream or butter, cheese and eggs. Not in my house, though! Here, we use this breakfast as a great opportunity to sneak in a veggie or two. So before we layer our ramekins, let’s make a veggie base. To begin, in a sauté pan lightly coated with oil over medium heat, cook about 1-1 1/3 cups of torn baby spinach and 1/3 cup of chopped baby Bella mushrooms. Sauté until the spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Next, add in 2 small cloves of minced garlic and continue to sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Lightly season with salt and set aside.
Also, for a bit of freshness and acidity, I quartered about 1/3 cup of small cherry tomatoes. But by all means, this is an opportunity to us any veggies you want. Bell peppers, red onion, asparagus, zucchini, ham, bacon, sausage. Just make sure to sauté any veggies and meat that take a bit longer to cook prior to assembling the dish. Ingredients like herbs and tomatoes that require no pre-cooking can be prepped and set aside.
Layering and Cooking French Baked Eggs
Now that your filling is ready, let’s assemble! Begin by preheating an oven to 375. Meanwhile, take 4 ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Spray each liberally with non-stick cooking spray, or brush generously with softened butter. Next, spoon in equal parts of your sautéed spinach and mushroom mixture (or whatever meats/veggies you cooked). Top with equal parts of the cherry tomatoes.
Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of your favorite shredded cheese into each ramekin. For this dish, I recommend a white cheese as to not disrupt the overall look of the eggs, so gruyere, provolone or Swiss are great options. But honestly, use whatever you have on hand that’s a decent melting cheese.
Now, make a small well in the center of the ingredients in each ramekin and carefully crack one egg into each. Pour in 1-2 tbsp of cream or half and half into each ramekin. For this step, I was careful to pop the cream next to the egg (not directly over top) so it spread underneath into all of the veggies. You will now place the baking sheet into the oven and bake 12-14 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks are still jiggly to the touch.
Finish each ramekin with a pinch of salt and pepper, and chopped herbs like parsley, dill, or chives (optional) to taste. The BEST way to serve this is right out of the oven along side some crust toasted bread. Use that bread to pop the yolk and dig around for all of the goodies at the bottom. The cream will have set a bit with the cheese and morph into this amazing custardy sauce that just engulfs the whole egg. Decadent, creamy, rich, and fancy, these French baked eggs are a simple yet show-stopping way to serve an impressive brunch.
Want more brunch recipes?
- Blueberry Muffin Cake
- Orange White Chocolate Granola
- Country Style Benedict
- Stuffed Breakfast Bombs
- Strawberries And Cream French Toast
- Caprese Avocado Ricotta Toast
- Mexican Eggs Benedict
- Blueberry Stuffed French Toast Casserole
French Baked Eggs (Shirred Eggs)
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach torn
- ⅓ cup baby Bella mushrooms diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- ½ cup shredded cheese gruyere, provolone, Swiss, or preferred cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 4-6 tbsp heavy cream or half and half
- salt to taste
- chopped herbs (parsley or green onions) for garnish
- toast for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- In a sauté pan lightly coated with oil over medium heat, cook the spinach and mushrooms until the spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Lightly season with salt and set aside.
- Spray 4 ramekins with cooking spray (or brush with softened butter).
- To the bottom of each ramekin, add an equal amount of the spinach mushroom mix. Top with an equal amount of cherry tomatoes.
- Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of shredded cheese into each ramekin.
- Make a small well in the center of the ingredients in each ramekin and carefully crack one egg into each.
- Pour in 1-2 tbsp of cream or half and half into each ramekin and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks are still jiggly to the touch.
- Finish each ramekin with a pinch of salt and pepper, and herbs (optional) to taste. Serve immediately with toasted bread.
